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Glacier Bay / Alaska

By cruise ship in Glacier Bay National Park

One of the most impressive experiences on an Alaska cruise is the Inside Passage as well as a cruise ship tour in the Glacier Bay. The more than 13.000 square kilometer UNESCO World Heritage Site Glacier Bay National Park is the highlight of the Inside Passage and one of the best protected natural areas on earth. In the west of Juneau and Skagway Located in the World Heritage Site, visitors see pure nature: rocks, glacial streams, temperate rainforest, fjords and, with a bit of luck, whales and other marine creatures.

Glacier Bay - Early in the morning

The National Park Service provides information to ship travelers

The US National Park Service prepares the cruise ship passengers for the national park using a folding plan as follows:

“And so we reach Glacier Bay. The Land Reborn; a world brought back to life, living proof of resilience. ... Glacier Bay is so many things in one: home, nature laboratory, wilderness and national park, United Nations Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site. ... 250 years ago there was only a glacier where there is now a bay. A massive river of ice, some 100 miles long and thousands of feet thick. Today the glacial river has retreated far to the north. Fewer than a dozen marine glaciers remain. … These rivers of ice are witnesses of change. They invite us to calm down.”

Glacier Bay rocky landscape

Access to Glacier Bay is limited to cruise ships

During Alaska's cruise season, which runs from May to September of the year, up to five ships a day call at the few destinations in the northernmost US state. In Juneau, the small town of Skagway and the other sparsely populated destinations, this high traffic volume may benefit locals and day visitors. As for Glacier Bay, access to the bay is regulated. Only two ships per day are allowed to enter the natural area, accompanied by rangers from the park administration.

Glacier Bay - In the distance the Wilderness Adventurer

The rangers reside on land at the Visitor Center Glacier Bay Lodge at Point Gustavus near Icy Strait. The location can only be reached by ship or by plane via Gustavus Airport. The wardens accompany the cruise ships throughout the day as they travel through the Sitakaday Narrows and the inlet of Glacier Bay. A day with the Rangers is announced on board a ship as follows.

Glacier Bay - Ranger on board

Glacier Bay - Ranger's daily program

The long way through Glacier Bay

During the more than 60 mile long, several hour journey to the John Hopkins Glacier, the rangers are available to provide information, lectures and information material to the ship's guests. If you're lucky, you'll experience Glacier Bay on a clear, sunny day. Sun is not always offered. In less favorable cases, the traveler only hears the monotonous sound of the ship's horn every two minutes.

Glacier Bay - rocks and water as far as the eye can see

Glacier Bay National Park is home to bears, elk, mountain goats, wolverines and wolves. The coastal waters are home to sea otters, sea lions and whales. Those cruisers who get to see the maritime creatures during the day tour are particularly lucky. Those who are not so lucky will have to make do with the magnificent rocky landscape of the fjord. The passengers enjoy breathtaking impressions when the captains rotate their ships several times for about an hour in front of the monumental backdrop of one of the glaciers. We experienced the spectacle in front of the Johns Hopkins Glacier.

Johns Hopkins Glacier